COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Town and Parish Councils

Don Foster: I have today published the summary of consultation responses and next steps on making it easier to set up new town and parish councils.
	Although there are almost 10,000 parish councils in England, only a handful are to be found in urban areas. So, while around 90% of the country is covered by parishes geographically, only around a third of the population is represented by one.
	Parish councils are a fundamental part of our local democracy. Town and parish councils can run local facilities such as leisure centres and theatres, manage parks, establish byelaws, run job clubs, and fund community groups. They can also use the community rights established under the Localism Act 2011, for example to help stop the clock on the sale of important local assets such as pubs and green space. We will also shortly be extending the power to use the Sustainable Communities Act to town and parish councils. Many of our bustling towns and cities would benefit from the neighbourliness and local insight of the parish perspective.
	Consultation, which concluded earlier in the year, set out options to make it easier for people, wherever they live, to close up the democratic gap in their own community by creating their own parish council if they do not have one. The document published today explains that we will:
	cut by a quarter the number of petition signatures needed to start the new parish creation process—from 10% of the local population to 7.5%
	reduce the time local authorities can take to decide on parish council applications to a maximum of a year
	make it easier for community groups that have created a “neighbourhood plan” to kick-start the process—removing the need for them to produce a petition
	The Department for Communities and Local Government will also be supporting the National Association of Local Councils and County Associations of Local Councils to help campaigns for new town and parish councils and provide them with resources.
	The process for creating parishes will continue to be robust, with the local authority retaining the power to decide whether a new parish should be set up. But campaigners and local councils will benefit from a far easier and quicker process.
	I am arranging for the document to be placed in the Library of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team Update

William Hague: The Helmand provincial reconstruction team (PRT) is a UK-led, multinational effort of the UK, US, Danish and, until 2012, the Estonian Governments. It works with international security assistance force’s (ISAF) Regional Command South West, helping the Afghan Government establish improved governance and development across Helmand province, and is one of many provincial reconstruction teams which have been working in every province of Afghanistan in recent years.
	As agreed by President Karzai and the international community, all PRTs across Afghanistan will close by the end of 2014 in keeping with the process of transition to an Afghan lead. This includes Helmand where HMG-funded programmes have improved governance and economic conditions.
	The PRT has put local political representation and participation at the core of its work, helping to build trust and confidence in local government and to bolster stability. More than 40,000 Helmandis have voted in district community council elections since 2009. There is rising confidence in the Afghan police with trends showing a 20% increase from 2010 in those who believe the police act in their interest and a more functional police and justice system. The number of children in schools has more than doubled since 2007, from 54,204 to 130,292, including almost 30,000 girls. Almost 80% of the population now has access to health care within 10 km of their home. The PRT has also overseen the construction of more than 250 km of hard-top road in Helmand and the rehabilitation of around a quarter of the 300 km irrigation canal system.
	Independent polling data reports that support for a return to Government of the Taliban has fallen to just 5% of the population, and that the number of those who believe the Afghan Government do a good job has risen by 16% between 2011 and 2013.
	Afghan forces now have lead responsibility for security across the entire country and are leading 92% of all operations while carrying out 90% of their own training. As of the end of June, all of the 1,000 police patrols in central Helmand each week were conducted alone without ISAF support.
	The Afghan national security forces (ANSF) have now reached their surge strength target of 352,000 personnel and their growing confidence and capability has enabled us to draw down our troops from 9,000 at the start of 2013 to around 5,200 by the end of the year. Our draw down has included moving the headquarters of Taskforce Helmand from Lashkar Gah to Camp Bastion in August 2013. UK troops continue to work in an advisory role to the ANSF, to develop their skills and build their confidence. A significant number of UK troops support ANSF operations by providing important enablers such as medical evacuation, aviation and surveillance capabilities.
	In preparation for the completion of transition, the PRT has been working with Afghan and international partners to transition our work on rule of law, governance and development to Afghan control or incorporate it into national programmes led from Kabul.
	It is this progress and transition of our work which will allow us to significantly reduce the size of the PRT by December 2013, at which point we envisage a small PRT political and governance and development team moving first to Camp Bastion towards the end of the year followed by the final closure of the PRT in March 2014.
	The combination of the successful build-up of the ANSF to a strong and increasingly capable force, alongside progress on the ground means we can be proud of what we have achieved in Afghanistan and especially in the very challenging environment of Helmand province. We went into Afghanistan to protect our national security by helping Afghans to take control of their own. Thanks to the courage and commitment of our armed forces and those civilians who have worked alongside UK and ISAF forces, Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for international terrorists to launch attacks on our streets.
	The ANSF, supported by the international community, now have the lead security for Afghanistan’s 27 million citizens and the prevention of the return of international terrorists to Afghanistan. We have also helped set the conditions for a more viable state; one that can provide basic services, improve the lives of ordinary Afghan citizens and reduce instability. The UK, together with the international community, has committed to long-term support for Afghans as they shape their country after 2014. Commitments will provide $4 billion a year for security until 2017 and $4 billion a year for development to underpin Afghanistan’s future security and stability.
	All of this, in spite of the setbacks we have overcome and the challenges that we know still lie ahead, supports national security and has created the opportunity for Afghans to build a better future.

HEALTH

Language Controls for Doctors

Daniel Poulter: The Department of Health has been working with the General Medical Council (GMC) and other stakeholders to look at ways to ensure that the language capability of doctors working in the UK is sufficient, and earlier this year I signalled the Government’s intention to further tighten rules about overseas doctors.
	Subsequently, on 7 September 2013 the Government launched their consultation “Language Controls for Doctors—Proposed Changes to the Medical Act 1983”, which consults on proposals to amend the Medical Act 1983 to give the GMC more explicit powers to take action where concerns arise about a doctor’s English language capability. The draft Medical Act (Amendment) (Knowledge of English) Order has also been published alongside the consultation document. The proposals are designed to complement and further strengthen the existing language controls imposed through the responsible officer regulations, performer’s list regulations and other checks undertaken at a local level.
	The consultation will close on 2 December and the Government welcome views on the proposals and invite comments through the consultation process.
	“Language Controls for Doctors—Proposed Changes to the Medical Act 1983” and the draft Medical Act (Amendment) (Knowledge of English) Order have been placed in the Library. Copies are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office and to noble Lords from the Printed Paper Office.

JUSTICE

Fee Remissions

Helen Grant: I have today laid and published the Government’s response to the consultation “Fee remissions for the courts and tribunals”, which ran from 18 April to 16 May 2013.
	The consultation sought views on reforms to the fee remission system to provide a better targeted, fairer and easier to use system which ensures access to justice for those unable to afford a fee.
	A total of 64 responses were received to the consultation from a range of stakeholders including legal bodies, trade unions, business and voluntary bodies and members of the public.
	Having carefully considered the views of stakeholders we have decided to take forward the proposals included in the consultation, with some amendments. The key features of the new system will be:
	a single system of fee remission across all of the courts and tribunals subject to the consultation, which will be easier for users to understand and to access;
	a new disposable capital test to assess eligibility for a remission, with some amendments to that consulted upon to reflect concerns about the impact of the test on those of retirement age and to make clearer the types of capital that will be considered or disregarded;
	a new single income test which will be simpler to use and which will require a greater contribution from those who pay part of their fee.
	Implementation of these reforms will mean that the taxpayer contribution towards fee remissions will be better targeted towards those who need it most. They will also ensure that the system of remissions is fair, easy to use and consistent across courts and tribunals.
	The changes will be implemented by negative statutory instrument, to come into effect on Monday 7 October. Revised guidance on the new system will be also made available to the public.
	At the same time, we will also introduce a new fee of £215 for an oral renewal application in judicial review proceedings. This implements changes announced on 23 April 2013, following the Government’s engagement exercise “Judicial Review: proposals for reform”.
	The consultation response has been placed in the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office. The document is also available online at:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/fee-remissions-court-tribunals.